A Night Train At Tomoeda
by StarAngel02
Summary: If this was all fiction or a film, I would have got down and cleared up the mystery and reached a suitable ending for my fairytale. An unforgettable experience that changed my life.


**Hi everyone! This is my first time at writing a fic. I am more of a reader than an author but I really felt like writing once and seeing how it felt to be an author. It's a one-shot. Well its not original at all, so if you guys want you can just stop here and not read any further. I had this short-story in my English text and I really liked it, so I thought maybe I can write a one-shot…….but sadly I couldn't make it very original but that does not mean its completely the same. I did make some adjustments here and there and tried to write it my own style. So I'd really appreciate if you just read it and tell me what you think about it…..**

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**Title: **A Night train At Tomoeda,

**Summary: **_If this was all fiction or a film,_ _I would have got down and cleared up the mystery and reached a suitable ending for my fairytale._ An unforgettable experience that changed my life.

**Disclaimer:** Clamp owns CCS. I do not… but I can dream can't I? And I don't own the short-story, A Night Train At Deoli, Ruskin Bond rightfully owns it.

**Genre: **Romance

**Rating:** T (I dunno really…just to be on the safer side)

**Ages: **Sakura: 18 -. -. -. Syaoran: 18.

**Author:** StarAngel02

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-Normal Point Of View-

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An eighteen year old boy with messy chestnut brown hair and deep chocolate brown eyes was sitting on his bed in deep thought. Suddenly his best friend, Hiiragizawa, barged inside the room and called out to him, "Hey dude! Hurry up or your gonna miss the train." The young by snapped out of his reverie and replied, "Huh?...Oh yeah…..I'm coming." He gathered his stuff that he had packed last night and walked out of his room.

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-Syaoran's Point Of View-

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As I walked out of my room, I couldn't help but think--_I don't know what this feeling is? But I know that something is going to happen that will change my life. _I reached the station but this thought was still bugging me. Eriol, who was with me, asked me, "Hey Syaoran, you alright?" I looked at him and replied, "Yeah I'm fine. Thanks for giving me a ride." I got out of his car and walked towards the platform. Soon the train arrived and I boarded the train and was off to Osaka to visit my grandmother.

Since I started high school, I would spend my summer vacation in Osaka, at my grandmother's place. I would take a train from Tokyo and reach Osaka via Nagoya.

Tomoeda was a small station, on the outskirts of Nagoya.

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The train would reach Tomoeda at about five in the morning, when the station would be dimly lit with electric bulbs and oil-lamps and the jungle across the tracks would just be visible in the faint light of dawn.

Tomoeda had only one platform, an office for the station-master and a waiting room. The platform consisted of a small tea stall. A fruit vendor and a few stray dogs; not much else, because the train stopped there only for ten minutes before rushing on into the busy city.

Why it stopped at Tomoeda, I don't know. Nothing ever happened there. Nobody got off the train and nobody got in. There were never any coolies on the platform. But the train would halt there for full ten minutes, and then the bell would go, the guard would blow the whistle and for then, Tomoeda would be left behind and forgotten.

I would wonder what happened at Tomoeda, behind the station walls. I always felt sorry for that lonely little platform and or the place no one wanted to visit. I decided that one day I would get off the train at Tomoeda and spend a day there just to please the little village.

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Today was no different form any other trips. I was visiting my grandmother and the night train stopped at Tomoeda. A girl came down the platform, selling baskets.

It was a cold morning and the girl had a shawl thrown across her shoulder. Her feet were bare and her clothes were old but she was walking gracefully and and with dignity. She was young, probably around my age or a year younger and was most certainly pretty.

When she came to my window she stopped. She must have realized that I was looking at her intently, but she pretended not to notice. Up close I realized that she was not only pretty but she was very beautiful indeed, naturally beautiful. She had long ad silky looking auburn hair, that was left loose, tanned skin which was covered with a little dirt, cute small nose and beautiful pinkish lips. All in all, if she was a little more clean and better dressed, she could outdo any model. But what caught my attention the most was her eyes. They were the beautiful shade of emerald green. At first I thought they were contact lenses but after looking closely I saw that it was the real shade of her eyes. And then those eyes, searching and eloquent, met mine.

I felt as if the time had stopped. I could feel myself drowning in her eyes. I had never seen such beautiful eyes. But something was wrong, her eyes were full of sorrow and pain and something else that I couldn't put my finger on now. I was too dazed to process anything in my mind.

She stood by my window for sometime and neither of us said anything. But when she moved on, I found myself leaving my seat and going to the carriage door. She noticed me at the door and stood waiting on the platform looking the other way. I walked across to the tea stall. A kettle was boiling over a small fire, but the owner of the stall was busy serving tea somewhere on the train. The girl followed me behind the stall.

"Do you want to buy a basket?" she asked. "They are made of the finest cane…"

"No", I said, "I don't want a basket."

We stood looking at each other for what seemed eternity and then she said, "Are you sure you don't want a basket?"

"All right, give me one." I said and took the one on the top and gave her five yen, hardly daring to touch her fingers.

As she was about to speak, the guard blew the whistle; she said something but it was lot in the clanging of the bell and the hissing of the engine. I had to run back to my compartment. As soon as I reached the carriage shuddered and jolted forward.

I watched her as the platform lipped away. She as alone on the platform and she did not move, but h was looking at me and smiling. I watched he until the signal box came in the way and then the trees hid the station, but I could still see her standing there, all alone…..

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I sat up awake for the rest of the journey. I could not rid my mind of the picture of the girls face and her sorrow filled eyes.

But when I reached Osaka the incident became blurred and distant; for there were other things to occupied my mind. It was only when I a making the return journey to months later, that I remembered the girl.

I was looking out for her as the train drew into the station and I felt an unexpected thrill when I saw her again, walking up the platform. Sprang of the foot-board and waved to her. When she saw me, she smiled. She was pleased that I remembered her. I too was pleased that she did not forget me. I don't know why but when she smiled at me, my heat beating faster than usual. It was as if it was going to explode.

She did not go down the length of the train selling baskets, but came straight to the tea stall; her dull eyes suddenly filled with light. We said nothing for some time and just stared at each other. At that moment, I just wanted to put her on the train then and there and take her away with me; I could not stand the thought of having t leave her behind and watching her fade away into the distance of Tomoeda station. I carefully took the baskets from her and put them on the ground. As she tried t reach for it, caught her hand and held it.

"I have to go to Tokyo", I said.

Se nodded. "I do not have to go anywhere."

The guard blew the whistle for he train to leave and how I hated him for doing that.

"I will come again," I said, "Will you be here?"

She nodded again and as she nodded the bell clanged and the train started moving forward. I wrenched my hand away from her and ran for the moving train.

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This time I did not forget her. She was with m for the rest of the journey and long after that. When my college term finished, I packed my stuff in haste and let for Osaka earlier than usual.

I was nervous an anxious as the train drew in at Tomoeda. There were butterflies my stomach. I was wondering what I should say to that girl and what should I do. I was determined that I would not stand there helplessly like a fool, hardly able o speak and not do anything about my feelings.

The train had come to Tomoeda and I searched for her up and down the station but could not see her anywhere.

I opened the door and stepped off the foot-board. I was deeply disappointed and hurt to see that she was not there. I felt I had to do something. I got off the train and searched for her but no luck. I even asked the station master only to be advised to get on the train or I would be left behind.

As I stared over the railings of the station, all I saw was an old Sakura tree and a very dusty road. I wonder where that road went? I noticed the train was moving and hurriedly went to my compartment.

What could I do about finding a girl I had seen only twice, whom I had hardly spoken to, whose name I did not know and about whom I knew nothing -absolutely nothing-but for whom I felt tenderness and responsibility that I had never felt before.

My stay at Osaka was not as enjoyable as the other visits. I felt restless an uneasy.

So I took a train back o Tokyo hoping to find out more about the girl. Bu the Tomoeda station had a new station master and knew nothing about her. Even the tea stall owner was of no help. All he said was that there was a girl like her but she stopped coming and when I asked him if he knew why he said he did not know and it was none of his business.

The whistle blew and once again I had to run for the train.

As Tomoeda platform receded, I decided that one day I would break a journey there, spend a day in the village, make enquiries and find the girl who had stolen my heart with nothing but a look from her beautiful emerald like green eyes.

With this thought I consoled myself throughout my last term in college. I went to Osaka again in the summer and when he train reached Tomoeda I searched the platform up and down for any signs of the girl, knowing I wouldn't find her but hoping just for the same.

Somehow I couldn't bring myself to break a journey at Tomoeda and spend a day there_. If this was all fiction or a film,_ I thought, _I would have got down and cleared up the mystery and reached a suitable ending for my fairytale._ I think I was afraid to do this. I was afraid of discovering what really happened to the girl. I admit it, I am a coward. Perhaps she was no longer in Tomoeda, perhaps she was married, perhaps she had fallen ill….

In the last few years I have passed through Tomoeda many times and I always look out of the window, half expecting to see the same unchanged face smiling up at me at eyes filled with happiness.

I really do wonder what happens at Tomoeda, behind the station walls. But I will never break a journey there. I prefer to keep hoping and dreaming an looking out of the window up and down that lonely platform waiting for the girl with he baskets.

I never break my journey at Tomoeda, but I pass through as often as I can.

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_**Don't go the way life takes you….take life the ay you want to go. Remember that you are born to live and not living because you were born……pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.**_

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(A/N: ok honestly hats off to all the authors here who write such beautiful stories. It took me **THREE Hours** to write such a lousy one-shot and to come to think of it, it wasn't even an original plot….I copied the original and made a few change that's all! And am I tired?? I swear I'm never gonna complain to an author saying that why are they not updating soon……its not easy to write, honestly…….Well I hope you guys will spare two more minutes (since you have already wasted around 15-20 minutes in reading this completely unoriginal fic) and review and tell me what you thought of it…it would make me really happy and don't worry I will gladly accept any rude comments and flames..)

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Arigato gozaimauz minna-san!!


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